In a address to members of the International Association of Criminal Law, Pope Francis said, “All Christians and people of goodwill are called today to fight not only for the abolition of the death penalty be it legal or illegal, in all of its forms, but also for the improvement of prison conditions in the respect of the human dignity of those who have been deprived of freedom.”

The death penalty is legal in Pennsylvania and there are currently about 200 people on death row. Just last month, Governor Corbett delayed the execution of Mr. Hubert Michael because the Department of Corrections was unable to obtain the drugs necessary to carry out execution by lethal injection.